Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu announced on Friday that 202 people were arrested in a massive early morning anti-narcotic operation carried out in Türkiye's western Izmir.
The operation was initiated at the Izmir Provincial Security Directorate City Security Management Systems (KGYS) building and was the 36th "Rooting Out" operation carried out across the country.
Providing further information about the operation, Soylu noted that they conducted it with the cooperation of the Provincial Police Department, the Provincial Gendarmerie Command and in coordination with the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
"With the participation of a total of 1,472 police and gendarmerie personnel, 24 detection dogs and aircraft, the operation started at 6:15 a.m. Our teams checked a total of 136 addresses, targeting 225 suspects, of which 202 were detained and taken into custody,'' he said.
Congratulating the teams in the operation, Soylu said that its progress was being monitored by Izmir's governor's office, the deputy gendarmerie commander and the cheif of police, and added that it was completed without incident.
Providing further information he noted: ''Currently, there are 222,000 detainees in prisons, most of them for manufacturing and trade crimes. In 2022, 29,800 people were arrested, of which 2,000 were in Izmir. Türkiye continues its fight against drugs relentlessly with our entire government machinery, with instructions and leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.''
Noting that Türkiye continues its relentless fight against drug trafficking, Soylu said the country ''is an example to the world'' in this regard. "Europe and America have surrendered, including concerning the distribution of drugs within themselves and areas outside their jurisdictions. Whereas, in Türkiye, drug-related deaths, which stood at 941 in 2017, were 250 by the end of 2021. We reduced this rate by one-fourth. That's 4.5 per million. In America, this ratio is 90 times more, 324 per million. The European average is 29 per million. German's is 29.6 per million," he pointed out.
Underlining the fact that Türkiye has ''shown the world how to fight and neutralize terrorism,'' Soylu also said, ''Now, we have set an example and shown how to fight against drugs at the same time, at a time when the world gave up.''
Noting that ''Türkiye is determined to show both the surrounding geography and the world how the war against drugs is fought and how the supply is cut,'' the minister also reiterated that its ''their responsibility'' to protect the country's youth, children and future generations from drugs.
He also noted that this was the first "Rooting Out" operation in Izmir and addressed citizens saying that ''they will witness how the state fights crime and criminals.''
''We would like our fellow citizens of Izmir to trust us, feel comfortable and trust their state, and we thank you," he concluded.
